The Seibu Lions didn't make it to the Japan Series, but the Pacific League champions dominated Monday's Best Nine Award announcement.
The Lions won the PL by 6½ games over the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and six of their starters were named in a poll of Japan's baseball media as the best in the league at their position. In contrast, the Central League champion Carp led their league in the voting but picked up just three awards.
In the PL, Seibu captain and second baseman Hideto Asamura, who led the league in RBIs, won his third straight award with 251 votes. He was one of two PL players to win unanimously.